Tree felling device

ABSTRACT

A tree-felling device having a pair of shims adapted to be inserted in a saw cut in a tree trunk and spread by a wedge inserted between the shims. The wedge is actuated by a jacking means to which chains attached to the shims are fastened such that actuation of the jacking means causes the wedge to enter the saw cut between the shims, thereby felling the tree.

United States Patent [1 1 Emerson Aug. 28, 1973 TREE FELLING DEVICE Primary Examiner-Andrew R. Juhasz 6 rlsto [7 Inventor 8: pher P Emerson, Lamom Assistant Exammer w. D. y

Att0meyHenderson'& Strom [22] Filed: Oct. 12, 1971 [21] Appl. No.: 188,277 [57] ABSTRACT A tree-felling device having a pair of shims adapted to [52] US. Cl. 144/34 F, 144/309 AC be inserted in a saw cut in a tree mmk and spread by [51 Int. Cl A01: 23/08 a wedge inserted between the shims The wedge i [58] Fltld 0f SCIICII 144/3 R, 34, 309 AC, and by ajacking means to which chains attached to the 144/2 J shims are fastened such that actuation of the jacking means causes the wedge to enter the saw cut between [56] Rehnm CM the shims, thereby felling the tree.

UNITED STATES PATENTS 6 Claims, 5 Drawing Figures 1 TREE neLLING DEVICE BACKGROUND .OF THE INVENTION This invention relateszto the felling of trees, and more particularlyto a devicefor felling a treein a desired direction.

It is a common practice in modern timber operations to utilize some sort of device for felling trees in a selected or predetermined direction. This is sometimes dueto the fact that the trees must fall in a particularrdirection to avoid damaging other trees or to avoid being caught on other trees such that the cut tree does not fall to the ground. Also, in certain areas the tree must be felled in a particular direction in order to have access to the cut tree for transportation purposes.

In cutting timber, a problem often arises during a sawing operation of the tree binding the saw due to wind or other factors causing the tree to settle back and bind the saw.

Numerous devices have been proposed for alleviating these problems. For example, a jacking device is described in U.S.Pat. No. 3,548,899 which was proved quite satisfactory under certain conditions. Hydraulic wedge devices are described in US. Pat. Nos. 2,657,904 and 2,690,323 for use in felling heavy trees. However, these hydraulic wedge devices have not found acceptance in the industry for various reasons. The oldest, and still one of the most widely used, m thod of felling trees involves hammering a wedge into a saw cut to urge the tree over in a desired direction. This particular method is, subject to obvious limitations.

Prior to this invention, a need long existed for a simple, efficient device for felling trees in a desired. direction.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, a tree felling device is provided, w ich is. small enough to be carried and: operated by an individual; person. The device of this invention does, not require any special training or technique for itsoperation, The presentinvention. can be utilized after a conventional; saw cut; or kerf has. been cutintoa tree, which. is; to be felledg. Normally, a wedge shaped notch. is also cut in, the tree trunk opposite the saw cut mallow the tree to be felled;

.Inaccordance with this. invention, a pair of, thin shim: membersare inserted intothe saw cut, andfa. wedge 'athti t 8. 91 8; ans. such; as. a.- hydraulic jack. is. inserted between. the pair of shims. 'Fhe jacking, means. is, then attached, such. as. by chains, to the. shims. such. that operation of the; jacking. means, will cause. the

wedge tobe. moved. betweem the pair of-yshims, thereby urging the. tree Qven in. a, desired? direction.

Thel device of thisginvention isextremely. simple, .and:

canbeoperatedinthe fieldby relatively;untrainecLpersons. Also, this-,deviceisvery ruggedandmaintenance.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a side elevation showing the device of the invention during the initial stage of a treefelling operation;

FIG. .2 is a side elevation showing the device of the DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENT The preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated in detail in the drawings, and the device and its operation will now be described by reference thereto.

As shown in FIG. 1, a tree felling device is indicated generally at 10. A tree trunk 11 is shown having a saw cut 12 and an undercut notch l3formed opposite thereto. A pair of flat, preferably metal, shims l4 and 15 are shown inserted in the cut 12 in a face-to-face relationship. The shims l4 and 15 are attached to one end of chains 16 and 17, and the other ends of chains 16 and 17 are attached to a jack 20. The jack 20 inchides a cylinder 21 and an operating handle 22 for effecting movement of a piston, 19. A wedge 18 is attached to the end of piston 19 and moves away from the jack 20 during operation of the jack to extend the piston 19. The wedge 18 is shown inserted between the near ends of the pair of shims l4 and 15. i

It can be seen that as the jack 20 is operated to extend the piston 19 and wedge 18 connected thereto, the

wedge 18 will be forced into the saw cut 12 between the shims l4 and 15 due to the fact that the shims' I4 and 15 are held relative to the jack 20 by chains 16 and Referring now to FIG. 2, the wedge 18 is shown inserted deep into the saw cut 12 with a resultant spreading of the saw cut and tilting of the tree trunk 11. The

force acting on the tree trunk 11 is ideally applied at the'outer edge of the saw cut 12 to obtain maximum leverage in tilting the tree trunk.

The. details of the various parts of the device according to thispreferred embodiment of the invention are illustrated in FIG. 3. The shims l4 and 15, which normally are identical, include aflat thin section adapted for insertion in a saw cut and a means for attaching a chain to. the shim. As shown in FIG. 3, the chains 16 and "include a small square chain attachment plate 231 on one end, and the element 23 is adapted forfre movable insertion inan opening formedby folding over shim slot ends 24 and 25 after cutting a V-shaped open ingin the unfolded shims.

The jack 20-includes plates 27 attached to the jack body, and the plates 27 have chain attaching slots 26 formed therein. The chainscanbe fastened to thejack anywhere along their length by placing any link of the chain in slot 26. l

The chains 16 and 17 can be permanently attached to either the shims; the jack, or both. However, a more flexible tool'isprovided-by having the chains adjustably attached to the jack, and the removable attachment to the shims allows: the operator to handle and position a the shims withouthandling the chains at the same time.

The device of this invention, rather surprisingly, does not have to be anchored or held relative to the tree being felled. While a chain or cable could be looped around the tree and fastened at both ends to the jack, such is not necessary, as the frictional force acting between the shims and the tree trunk has been found to be sufficient to prevent withdrawal of the shims during operation of the jack.

The preferred jack for this invention is a hydraulic, manually operated device such as a heavy-duty automobile jack modified by having a wedge affixed to its piston. Other types of jacking means, such as mechanical jacks or motor powered jacks could obviously be used in a similar manner if the conditions of use dictated such other types.

The device of this invention applies the force smoothly and uniformly, as opposed to the use of a hammered wedge. The hammering of a wedge is unsatisfactory in most cases because the wedge just cuts into the wood with each hammer blow. Preferably, the wedge 18 has a small angle, such as about 20, in order to provide optimum leverage to the operation. The angle must be sufficiently large, however, to tilt the tree trunk before it has entered all the way into the saw cut. The optimum angle for particular conditions is easily determined.

The device of this invention provides several advantages compared to the hydraulic wedge devices described 2,657,904 and 2,690,323. In addition to the obvious complexity and expense of these prior art wedges, they require a notch to be cut enlarging the saw cut before they can be inserted. The biggest disadvantage of a device such as is illustrated in U.S. Pat. No. 2,690,323 is, as seen in FIGS. 3 and 4 thereof, the fact that the bulk of the pressure exerted on the tree trunk is applied in the deepest interior of the trunk, which reduces the effectiveness of the force as compared to the present invention. Specifically, it is apparent that the tips of the split jaws of U.S. Pat. No. 2,690,323 move much farther than the portions of the jaws near the hinges. Thus, that device would spread the tree by force applied near the center of the trunk, which is the least efircient point.

According to this invention, the shims 14 and 15 can be inserted in a saw cut 12 without any supplemental widening of the cut. The front tip of the wedge 18 is theninserted between the shims, the chains 16 and 17 attached to the shims and the jack 20, and the wedge 18 is driven into the saw cut by the thrust of the jack, resulting in a powerful splitting stress being applied to in the earlier mentioned U.S. Pat. Nos.

the tree trunk. The highly leveraged force tilts the tree trunk until the tree falls of its own weight.

It is possible to utilize a device according to this invention using only one shim, but the use of a pair of shims is much preferred.

In operating the preferred embodiment of the invention, if the jack is fully extended and the tree has not yet fallen, the jack can be released so that cylinder 21 can be moved toward the wedge 18, the chains 16 and 17 can be removed from the jack and reattached closer to the shims, effectively shortening the chains and allowing repeated action of the jack to drive the wedge 18 farther into the tree, limited only by the depth of the saw cut 12.

The preferred embodiment of the application described above provides a tree felling device which is simple, effective, maintenance-free, and can be used easily by one person. It will be apparent that numerous modifications and variations could be made in the specific device described herein without departing from the true scope of the invention, which is defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A tree-felling device including:

shim means adapted for insertion in a saw cut in a tree; l

jacking means including wedge means extendible therefrom; and

chain means for connecting said shim means to said jacking means such that operation of the jacking means, when the wedge means is located for sliding engagement with the shim means, will cause the wedge means to slide along a surface of the shim means.

2. The tree-felling device of claim 1 wherein the shim means includes a pair of thin flat pieces having smooth inner surfaces.

3. The tree-felling device of claim 1 wherein the shim means is detachably connected to the means for connecting the shim means to the jacking means.

4. The tree-felling device of claim 1 wherein the jacking means is hydraulically actuated.

5. The tree-felling device of claim 4 wherein the shim means is a pair of thin, flat elements adapted to receive 7 the wedge means between mating surfaces thereof.

6. The tree-felling device of claim 5 wherein each of the pair of thin, flat elements is detachably connected to a chain, and each chain is adjustably attached to the jacking means. 

1. A tree-felling device including: shim means adapted for insertion in a saw cut in a tree; jacking means including wedge means extendible therefrom; and chain means for connecting said shim means to said jacking means such that operation of the jacking means, when the wedge means is located for sliding engagement with the shim means, will cause the wedge means to slide along a surface of the shim means.
 2. The tree-felling device of claim 1 wherein the shim means includes a pair of thin flat pieces having smooth inner surfaces.
 3. The tree-felling device of claim 1 wherein the shim means is detachably connected to the means for connecting the shim means to the jacking means.
 4. The tree-felling device of claim 1 wherein the jacking means is hydraulically actuated.
 5. The tree-felling device of claim 4 wherein the shim means is a pair of thin, flat elements adapted to receive the wedge means between mating surfaces thereof.
 6. The tree-felling device of claim 5 wherein each of the pair of thin, flat elements is detachably connected to a chain, and each chain is adjustably attached to the jacking means. 